WINTER CELEBRATIONS

“Chaquetía” is typical celebration in Extremadura on 1st and 2nd November ( All

Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day). It is a religious tradition that started approximately in
the 1950s. People typically go to the country near the cemetery to eat the “chaquetía”
in remembrance of the deceased. The “chaquetía” is usually seasonal fruits such as
figs, chestnuts, walnuts, acorns and “bollas” (a typical cake made with flour, lard, eggs,
sugar and aniseed) that people put in a wicker basket.

The origin of this celebration dates back to the time when the altar boys went from
house to house asking for an offering of seasonal fruits to eat while they were ringing
the church bells on these days.

The word chaquetía comes from the phrase “echa aquí tía”, because in the past the
children used to say this phrase to ask for these fruits and they also used to sing “Tía,
tía, dame la chaquetía, que si no no eres mi tía”.

This celebration is becoming more and more popular in our region and is in some ways
similar to Halloween (31st October), when children go from house to house asking for
sweets and saying “Trick or treat”.